Walpurgisnacht XLV A.S.

Just minutes after the arrival of Walpurgisnacht, which I celebrate from Morgen until Nacht, I am reflecting upon the previous day, which was as productive as it was unusual.

I've just begun an enjoyable new job, and a lucrative part-time gig may soon add even more money-making fun to my schedule.

Yesterday, after work, I experienced major delays in my commute, leading to conversations and meetings that included a couple of unlikely connections. Later on, I experienced another unexpected and highly enjoyable event. The details are not very relevant to this post, except for one: each involved admirable or entertaining misfits.

Where others might find these to be mere coincidences, amusing at best, unimportant at worst, they have greater significance for me. They not only inspire me, but have also come at a time during which I am feeling especially... charged.

Only a few days ago, I visited a museum to see a retrospective of the career of an artist who has been very important to me since I was a little boy, when my sketchbook was already full of monsters, ghosts, movies, and other subjects that still thrive in my imagination. This artist's similar interests resonated deeply with my own love for the outré, enriching my creative vocabulary and inspiring me to further develop my bizarre visions. Every day since my visit to his very special exhibition has been more fruitful and full of gratifying surprises.

All leading up to what is sure to be an especially memorable Walpurgisnacht.

Taking a cue from Anton LaVey's essay, "The Combination Lock Principle," I must consider eschewing the concept of "coincidences" and keep an eye out for what I will call "alignments."

Inspiration, indulgence, and incidents.

Things are going my way, more than ever before.

May you Satanists enjoy your Walpurgisnacht as much as I will be enjoying mine.

Hail Satan!

- M. M.

Satanic Rituals & Satanic Holidays

As another major holiday approaches, many Satanists are preparing their altars and minds for rituals and ceremonies. However, these aren't compulsory rites done for their own sake. As with many elements of Satanism, there is more to this practice than is commonly understood.

Satanic holiday rituals draw their potency from one's life outside of this formalized context. One's energies are heightened by the occasion's symbolic significance – whether historical, seasonal or otherwise – but they first originate within the individual's "everyday" life. The religious trappings enhance his or her existing capacity for awareness, inspiration, and power.

In most traditions, ceremonies exalt something above the individual participants. Let there be no mistake that, in Satanism, ceremonies are designed to serve the individual, not to glorify external deities, or even to honor the traditions themselves. No matter what, it all begins and ends with the individual.

The imagery embraced within the Satanic ritual chamber can be misleading to those unfamiliar with our methods. Satanism's religious iconography and incantations often employ mythological elements and esoteric symbolism, which may seem to imply theistic or mystical inclinations. However, these are chosen for their ability to augment one's energies through emotional resonance. This is psychodrama. It has no basis whatsoever in any type of superstition.

This will be obvious to a few, but many people make the mistake of expecting Satanism to exhibit the same basic characteristics as other religions, albeit with a few diabolical twists. It just isn't so. The Satanic approach to religious activity is distinguished by principles that are alien to mainstream creeds. That includes holidays and the ways in which we celebrate them.

Again, we're not just going through the motions. Whether conducted on Walpurgisnacht, Halloween, a solstice, an equinox, a full moon, or a new moon, even the most strictly traditional ceremony is a tool in the service of the individual who chooses to ritualize.

Naturally, Satanic holiday celebrations frequently revolve around social, culinary, and cultural delights. Since we usually enjoy these things year-round, a special occasion can simply be an "excuse" for even more festivities. Not that we need excuses!

Only when the time is right does a gathering – or a solitary celebration – move from the informality of the living room to the electric air of the ritual, or "intellectual decompression," chamber.

When that time has come, you will know.

On the 80th Anniversary of Anton Szandor LaVey's Birth

Tonight, I am taking a moment to reflect upon the legacy of Anton Szandor LaVey, born eighty years ago today.

I am ever grateful that the path which he found the most fulfilling yielded books, films, music, and an organization that have all profoundly enhanced my life in the path that I find the most fulfilling.

Although I did not have the opportunity to meet Magus LaVey before his death in 1997, I joined the Church of Satan three years later, when I was about eighteen years old. My affiliation with this loosely-knit cabal has enriched my life on all levels, increasingly so as I continue to mature and evolve.

I am thus grateful not only to Magus LaVey, but also to his loyal comrades, who continue to build upon the foundation established by that singular sorcerer throughout his remarkable life.

Hail Anton Szandor LaVey!

Hail the Infernal Empire!

Hail Satan!

Johnson Smith & Co. and the Meaning of April Fool's Day

Today is April Fool's Day, an informal holiday devoted to pranks. Many people will burst into guffaws as victims fall prey to obligatory, yet unpleasantly surprising, deceptions. However, few will consider the historical and philosophical context of their "practical jokes.".

One of the most sacred texts for the prankologist is the Johnson Smith & Co. Catalogue of Surprising Novelties, Puzzles, Tricks, Joke Goods, Useful Articles, Etc. Highly recommended by the most discerning cognoscenti, including Anton Szandor LaVey, this catalog is a cornucopia of... well, the title says it all! The catalog offers gags intended to amuse, confuse, or alarm their victims. Some are even designed to inflict physical harm.

This industry flourished during the first half of the 20th century, when the best editions of the catalog were printed. It survives today as Things You Never Knew Existed... I deeply enjoyed reading this later incarnation during the early 1990s, when I was around ten years old. However, it lacks the charm and abundance of the original. But I digress.

LaVey pointed to the pranks sold by Johnson Smith & Co. as evidence that humans are, to some degree, inherently sadistic. How else could a company profit from selling these embarrassing, sometimes painful devices?

LaVey suggested ways in which one might put this cruelty to good use. The primary approach would be to take a deserving enemy down a peg. Why throw a curse when you can throw a prank? The latter is usually more fun! He also shared methods of manipulating others by making oneself look absurd, the results being far more revealing than any pair of so-called X-ray goggles.

With all of the above in mind, I encourage pranksters to deploy their arsenals wisely. You might want to avoid committing undue mischief against your friends today. Instead, aim your pies at the faces of your enemies.

"After all, a joke or a trick is really not much fun, I feel, unless it is perpetrated upon someone who is deserving, or who is going to be deflated by it."

-Anton Szandor LaVey, Speak of the Devil

Vernal Equinox XLV A.S.

Today is the Vernal Equinox — the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

As in ancient times, we observe and celebrate the resurgent fecundity of the earth and its beasts, all of which have begun to explode with life and the lusts through which it blossoms.

Morning and night rule this day in equal measure; henceforth the sun will grow more dominant, the earth warmer and brighter.

Although Satanism is more often associated with the darkness of Halloween, Walpurgisnacht — which is celebrated during this verdant and cheerful season — is an equally significant holiday. (The most important holiday is, of course, the individual Satanist's own Birthday.)

Celebrated on April 30, at the height of spring, Walpurgisnacht has long been associated with witches, warlocks, and the Devil. Satanists embrace this diabolical reputation as a tradition. Indeed, the Church of Satan was founded on Walpurgisnacht. Magus LaVey could have chosen Halloween, but he didn't – and for good reason.

Satanism is a carnal, life-affirming religion, rooted in the indulgence and vitality that accompany the abundance embodied in the spring season.

Spring is lively, and we love life.

The Michael Vick Project: Dog-Fights and Crocodile-Tears

"Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours, who, because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development,” has become the most vicious animal of all!"

- the 7th Satanic Statement

"Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food."

-the 10th Satanic Rule of the Earth

Disgraced football player Michael Vick now has his own "reality show," titled The Michael Vick Project. As many of you may know, he served eighteen months in prison for running a massive dog-fighting ring. The owner of "Bad Newz Kennel," he was also an active participant in the criminal operation, helping to kill dogs whom were no longer able to fight.

Vick is claiming that, since his exposure to this activity as a child, he had seen nothing wrong with it, but now feels remorse. I think that all he regrets is being caught, and that any sick feeling he gets from revisiting his despicable actions is rooted in this unprincipled regret.

Even if Vick is genuinely sorry for his wretched crimes, his claim to ignorance does not make him at all innocent. For someone to be unaware of how terribly wrong dog-fighting is, he must be either a vile brute or a murderous cretin. Neither is worthy of the freedoms earned through responsible engagement with civilization.

I thank the Church of Satan Witch who made me aware of this outrageous program. She takes care of shelter animals every day with a warm strength that I and other Satanists deeply admire. Like this Witch, I strongly oppose the airing of a show dedicated to someone with a long history of torturing and murdering dogs.

I just hope that, at the very least, this show will make this widespread but underexposed problem more visible and lead to swifter justice in other cases of animal abuse.

The Satanic Wisdom of Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was born on this day in 1809. He is, of course, best known for his poem "The Raven" and his often macabre short stories. Though his contributions to literature occasionally incorporate Satanic values ranging from aesthetics to vengeance, there is one piece that has long struck me as his most thoroughly Satanic: a poem titled "Alone".

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were — I have not seen
As others saw — I could not bring
My passions from a common spring —
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow — I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone —
And all I lov'd, I lov'd alone —
Then — in my childhood — in the dawn
Of a most stormy life — was drawn
From ev'ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still —
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain —
From the sun that 'round me roll'd
In its autumn tint of gold —
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass'd me flying by —
From the thunder and the storm —
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view —

From beginning to end, this poem outlines several defining elements found in the lives of most Satanists.

We are born with the Satanic characters that we later refine, often finding ourselves outsiders — at least in our most avid interests — at an early age.

These solitary passions are not at all limited to the morbidity expected of many outsiders. Joy and sorrow, "good and ill" — the Satanist both embraces life's infinite pleasures and gains further strength and wisdom by overcoming unpleasant experiences. We love and hate completely, fully aware of and aligned with our instincts.

We are often inspired by the full spectrum of Nature's displays, from the soothing quiescence of fountains to the raging majesty of storms. As materialists, we find these profound in and of themselves — all the more so because our minds are free from the dulling effects of mythological superstitions. The very vicissitudes of our spectacular universe provide more than enough stimulation and insight for us.

I interpret the "demon" in this poem as a force that, though apparently ominous, embodies all of the diverse catalysts, enjoyable and difficult alike, mentioned by the narrator. A self-centered individualist, the narrator also uses his experience of the universe around him to enhance his self-awareness and self-understanding. He thus identifies with the external elements that rouse his spirit; he lives in alignment with the source of his inspiration, his "demon."

Most of this poem is included in The Book of Satanic Quotations; I was delighted to find it there, and not at all surprised that it was the only entry for Poe. The Satanic appeal of Poe is often in his aesthetics, whereas this piece depicts a personal experience often found in the lives of Satanists, many of whom can't even relate to each other beyond this peculiar brand of otherness.

Hail Edgar Allan Poe!

The 9th Day of the Year XLV A.S.

Today is the 9th day of the year XLV A.S. and of a new decade in the Gregorian calendar.

I've spent the evening and night engaged in personally meaningful activities, establishing a trajectory for the coming year by further refining the intentions I meditated upon after midnight on New Year's Day.

The beginning of a new year, in whatever calendar one is using, can be very stimulating. Many people use the occasion to declare "resolutions" for which they have no resolve. Wiser individuals, if they find the moment exciting at all, are more likely to think of this as a time in which to gain perspective through hindsight. They apply the wisdom collected through this period of reflection with true resolve, not because of the new year, but because it serves their purposes.

The new year is also a time for celebration. At the first stroke of midnight, we toast the people we cherish. Before and after, we enjoy indulgent gatherings abuzz with rampant cheer. This outpouring of positive energy can generate a potent reservoir for those who know what to do with it.

Happy New Year!

Hail Satan!

- BtH

Winter Solstice XLIV A. S.

Today, the Northern Hemisphere marks the Winter Solstice, also known as Yule, but more often celebrated as its belated bastardization: Christmas. The ancients established it as a festival designed to welcome the newborn sun god. Today's primitives insist that it is actually about the birth of Jesus. Then there are the more secular, but nonetheless mindless traditions of spending too much money on obligatory gifts, sending out inane greeting cards, and putting up hideous Walmart "decorations."

I'm not a scrooge. I always celebrate the 25th of December with loved ones. It's a chance to catch up, feast, relax, and exchange a few meaningful gifts. I take advantage of that mainstream holiday for my personal enjoyment, but avoid the pressures and excesses that often make it such a stressful time for the herd.

The Winter Solstice, while also a time for merrymaking, is an ideal time for ritual as well. During this, the longest night of the year, Earth's pendulum swings back: the sun gradually restores its dominance as the days grow longer once again.

Winter Solstice symbolism revolves around fire, the element most fully embodied in our sun. The metaphorical implications of this holiday are similar to those of the waxing moon; it is a time of beginnings and growth — the first movement toward Spring, and thus toward Walpurgisnacht. Relevant symbols and metaphors can serve to augment the energies of celebrants, enhancing everything from magical workings to the sheer joy of profound awareness.

While all of this is relevant to the holiday, the Church of Satan's website offers more concise insight and inspiration in this statement: "The True Meaning of Yule."